Means you have to load a magazine into an empty firearm to show clear. Often if you go to a match of any kind and see someone with a gun with a disconnect, they have to carry an extra magazine to show clear after a stage. Tell me, how does it make things safer to drop the mag, rack out the round and then have to reinsert a mag. Guess that’s why it’s the one safety USPSA allows you to disable or remove.

-Chamber Indicator

Otherwise known as the excuse people use not to observe proper gun handling. Instead of using your own damn two eyes, you rely on a mechanical device that can, and will eventually fail. It will either result in your gun failing, or start giving false positives, or indicate empty when hot.

Even worse though is the idea, and there will be people who do this, that some people will use the chamber indicator to assume the weapon is unloaded. Then they’re finger !%^* the damn trigger and act all surprised that they just ventilated someone because they violated god knows how many of the 4 rules because “the chamber indicator said it’s unloaded”.

Safeties are all well and good folks but lets be realistic here. What do any of those two safeties actually provide?

Not a damn thing that simple education or proper storage couldn’t take care of. Instead of education he wants to modify firearms, in such a manner as to aid in careless gun handling mind you.

This folks is why you don’t take advice from people who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. –B]

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Note the results, still think those little boxes you see will keep your property safe? Especially those quick access boxes some end up buying when they’re stuck in one of those states lacking in freedom and pushing tyranny. Still think the arguments are really about your safety or preventing theft?

If you think curious kids can’t figure out how to pick a lock, you obviously never saw me as a child. I figured out how to pick locks at first just with paper clips. Making my own tension fork and rake to pop simple locks. Eventually I got my hands on a real set. Yeah, beyond a real safe and educating your children, you’re not going to do much other than increase curiosity.

So consider this a public service announcement and a warning. If you’re using any of these items, be damn sure of their capabilities and weaknesses. In so doing, be sure to use them in a manner consistent with their abilities. I happen to fully agree with the presenters final conclusions.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Like this:

So there are some ranges that evidently aren’t as anal as they should be regarding handling of firearms while the range is cold and people are down range. As I’ve said before, this really ticks me off and today we have an example of the consequences.

First, prior to anyone heading down range, all actions should be open and empty. In the case of a revolver, the cylinder should be out and easily visible.

Second, While people are down range there should be absolutely no handling of firearms. Odds are you will not be able to touch our move a firearm without muzzling someone so just leave it alone.

Third, usually there is a yellow safety line that now one is allowed in front of during a cease fire, why was someone in front of it, or why didn’t this range have one?

Fourth, How do you cause a revolver to discharge buy merely moving it unless it was loaded and cocked, them maybe, but even then, booger hook bang switch problem here.

There are no excuses for this incident. The bottom line is this issue can be traced back to at a minimum of impatience while wanting to pack up and leave. At best it is gross negligence without using the most important tool to man kind, the grey matter between the ears.

*Update* Evidently this is an unsupervised range. I’ve seen my share of incidents at unsupervised ranges and am not the biggest fan. Like Wizard, I won’t go to one by myself. Either I or my companion stay at the line and act as an RO. The only reason cowboy rules like that go on is because no one steps up to the plate. The results of no one stepping up can be seen above.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Like this:

Brethren and Sistern, there is an obvious lack of sufficient sermonizing here, so let me turn to the Book of Armaments, Chapter Four, Verse One: “Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Beyond It.” There is no codicil that says “Unless you’re in a shoot house,” or “Unless you’re going really fast.”

It’s not okay to shoot your fellow range patrons EVEN… and I’d like to make this perfectly clear… EVEN IF THE RSO SAYS IT’S COOL.

[While yes we can jokingly say wouldn’t it be nice at times if that were true. But honestly thank god Tam is right. Just because the RSO says your safe doesn’t absolve you from maintaining control of your weapon and properly identifying your targets.

Everyone is a RSO, period, full stop, end of discussion. We all know these tacticool operators do and say some crazy crap. The problem is impressionable youth take it and accept their quotes as gospel. What happens in the end though is Mr. Tacticool ventilates someone who didn’t need ventilating. The response from Fanbois? Justification, absolvance, and excuses. None step up to the accountability and responsibility department. Both of which are critical for gun owners.

I wish I had saved it but recently I had stumbled across a video on Youtube and the individual in the comments started arguing against the four rules. His complaint was because you need exceptions to the rules for things like maintenance and training. The way around this is to create rules where no exceptions exist. Funny thing for me is I’ve never needed an exception for maintenance or training. Instead I use a dummy gun, or I watch my muzzle while cleaning and disassembling. I promptly put him on my do not listen or watch list.*

Why? Because the 4 rules are rules, without exemption and the wonder is you have to break two of them to end up in deep trouble. I am willing to accept Alan’s condensed rules as it is merely the 4 rules condensed and non-redundant. This individual had used a real weapon as a demonstration piece under the crux of it being unloaded. Unloaded or not, I don’t like people pointing guns at me. Why? Because it’s how people get hurt and the comment after is always, “I thought it was unloaded.” Grab any number of safe training methods, leave the real guns off to the side.

Back to the subject at hand though. The nut behind the trigger ultimately has the responsibility of the safe handling and discharge of their weapon. Failure to do so cannot be blamed on anyone other than the shooter. The RSO is there as an extra set of eyes to try and stop things before they become unsafe. Even then though final responsibility falls with shooter.

They don’t DQ RO’s when a shooter does something wrong for failing to stop them in time. So why should anyone get a pass in this case? -B]

*I would link said video, but I have spent the last 30 minutes searching and couldn’t find it. It is possible and quite probable he pulled the video after trying to justify pointing a weapon at something he didn’t really want destroyed. It was a video on muzzle up vs muzzle down and weapon retention. If you know of the video, bump the link. He was using an AR.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

I’m at a cease fire at the range and we have a few guys changing their targets. One guy finished shooting and decided to case his rie and take it to his car, handling it while people are down range. The rules of the club are if the range is cold no one touches the guns There is no range officer as this is members only hours. I didn’t say anything to him but am wishing I had politey reminded him of the rules. What would you have done?

The comments in that thread make me weep. You do not handle firearms during a cease fire. Period, end of discussion. Now how would I react? I have been in that exact situation. Sadly the video of said situation the audio is washed out by the wind. But here is a break down of what happened.

At the high intensity event 2010 the first wave shot their targets and the range was called safe. All rifles were unloaded and shown clear. They were instructed to ground their weapons and let them cool, or case them if they felt their rifles were cool enough to do so. At this point we had everyone step back from their weapons, or walk off with their case. Staff then proceeded to go down range to set up for the second wave of shooters. I stayed behind to talk to Oleg and act as a RSO. While talking to Oleg I see someone pick up an uncased firearm and sweep the staff down range as well as the other shooting line before bringing it vertical. As he started to pick up the weapon I promptly started yelling to put the weapon down. I was very vocal but evidently he couldn’t hear me. He continued and when I finally got on top of him he realized I was yelling at him. He continued to say he hadn’t done anything wrong or against the rules, and then attempted to claim we had given conflicting commands. Except just prior to him shooting he had to recite the following:

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

Always keep the gun in its case unless the muzzle is pointed downrange and within two feet of the shooting line.

So he walked off the shooting line with an uncased rifle. He was handling the weapon during a ceasefire, and in so doing had muzzled a bunch of the staff. I handed the issue over to one of the “jacketed” ROs to deal with because he seemed to think I wasn’t someone he should be listening to.

The bottom line is that the rule of not handling firearms during a cease fire is to ensure that no one is muzzled and that there is a zero possibility of human caused discharge while people are down range. If you’re so impatient that you need to be careless about safety, get the hell off my range and don’t come back. In the incident above, I have not seen even the friends of this individual return. Evidently it did cause a bit of a black eye. You know what would have been worse, just ignoring it.

Safety is a culture and if you don’t cultivate it and make sure people are thinking about it, especially in an event like Boomershoot, the next thing we know the event is no longer happening because someone was careless.

Seriously folks, is this that difficult to understand? For any of those of you who recently started reading my blog, these types of things make me VERY angry.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Like this:

So Sebastian made a post about the idiot in Sparks that decided to carry a pocket gun without a holster. Can we all guess how that ended? How many of you think that it went bang?

If you thought it went bang, well you were right. This folks as Sebastian said is why you need to carry your gun in a damn holster.

I only bring that up because Nicholas Dropped a comment which I’m going to re-post here (emphasis is mine):

Very true. We have morons at our shooting club. Who are questionably not safe. At USPSA matches they are shooting over the berm and into the hill behind it. Our berm is an aluminum sheet with rubber tire bits as a back stop. Very fine for pistol. But shooting over it is unacceptable. As well as keeping their finger on the trigger when they mag change or move to the next target. Really unsafe people. And when you bring it up to them they get all defensive. why do these people not think of being safe? It is the most paranoid thing I do at the range.

To which I replied:

Why are they not immediately DQ’d by the RO. All of those things listed there are explicitly stated in the rules as an immediate DQ.

See rule 10.5.8 and 10.5.10 explicitly on the booger hook bang switch problem while moving.

See rule 10.5.9 explicitly for the booger hook while reloading problem.

See 10.4.1 for shooting over the berm.

As for why they don’t think of being safe often it’s because this is how they have always done it and don’t see a reason to change. They do not understand or comprehend how their actions are unsafe.

If you see that happen at a match, notify the RO. At minimum they should be warned if the RO didn’t see it. If the RO did see it they need to get the boot for the rest of the match. The rules exist to protect everyone. The RO isn’t kicking them out, they kicked themselves out by breaking the rules.

Wow, all that time spent reading the USPSA rule book actually made the crap stick. As I read his post I immediately recognized each of those instances being an immediate DQ, with explicit rules to cover every instance. Of the rules listed above there were probably secondary rules they broke as well.

The fact is the RO needs to boot them, period. I don’t care how you play around in your sandbox at home, but if you walk onto a range at a USPSA event those rules exist for my safety as well as everyone else at the event.

I know there are a lot of people who would hesitate to drop the axe and DQ someone. Thankfully I haven’t had to do that, though I know one day it will come. My biggest fear is having to drop the axe on a new shooter. Which is why as an RO I will give verbal reminders about the booger hook if things start to look questionable with new shooters.

When the day comes when a competitor is DQ’d under your watch, you didn’t DQ him, he did that to himself.

He’s right. Because honestly it benefits neither the club, nor the shooter to just let him get by with the mistake. Some mistakes have to be punished in such a way that you NEVER want to repeat them again. Telling you to pack up your guns for the rest of the day is a good way to do exactly that.

If you see unsafe gun handling, STOP it immediately. Even if the RO didn’t see it. The RO’s word is final and it’s his choice to issue the DQ, but at a minimum the issue needs to be brought to his attention.*

*For the most part other observers cannot really see what’s going on so this is mute. If you are the RO running the shooter your eyes should be focused on that gun and his gun handling. If you’re looking where he’s shooting you’re looking in the wrong spot. Your score keeper should also be helping to look for penalties as well.

Letting people get away with unsafe gun handling is bad juju. Especially if they take it to an area match. Saying “Well I do it all the time back home,” isn’t going to cut it as an excuse.

So as I was saying, it’s probably a good thing they made me damn near memorize that rule book. It’s also a good thing Kevin gave that speech saying drop the axe if it happens.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Barron Barnett/(The Minuteman Blog) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.